BACKGROUND
Year 2015, in the celebration of the Feast of St. John the Baptist, Quiapo Church launched its new face of the Basic Ecclesial Communities of the Parish. From the initial fourteen blocks come the BEC cells. The BEC cell is a small unit of community within the Basic Ecclesial Communities. In this pattern one cell is comprise of eight to fifteen families. The BEC cell take the name Bukluran which was formerly used as the Parish other name for the Basic Ecclesial Communities. To distinguish one Bukluran to another, each cell will also be named after a Saint on which its Feast day will be observed by the community. This move was carefully planned and executed with the guidance of the BEC and FLM Director Fr. Raul Salgado and upon the approval of Msgr. Jose Clemente Ignacio who was then the Rector/Parish Priest of Quiapo Church.
Thus, 19 Bukluran was initially formed, they are Bukluran San Miguel, Bukluran San Juan de Dios, San Pio ng Petrielcina, Bukluran San Juan Pablo II, Bukluran San Maximiliano, Bukluran San Agustin, San Bukluran Francisco, Bukluran San Magdalena, Bukluran San Pedro Calungsod, Bukluran San Lorenzo Ruiz, Bukluran Sta. Rosa ng Lima, Bukluran San Clemente, Bukluran Sta. Agatha, Bukluran Sta. Scholastica, Bukluran San Benito, Bukluran San Roque, Bukluran Sta. Rita ng Causia, Bukluran San Ignacio and Bukluran San Sebastian
HISTORY
The Basic Ecclesial Communities in Quiapo Church first started year 2006 thru the effort of Sis. Beth Ramirez former Parish Social Service and Development Ministry Head with other two social workers with her. They pick the Block set up of the Block Rosary Federation for the Parish and assigned in them BEC leaders. The leaders and its member were empowered through sending them to MAGPAS and giving them livelihood programs. Through house to house visit the membership grows and they started to have meetings and formation. Year 2007, Msgr. Ignacio after being installed as the new Rector/Parish Priest, he appointed officers for the BEC- Bukluran. He also formed the Bukluran Marshall as a group of men that assist on Parish activities like processions. The leaders and members of the BEC were empowered through sending them to seminars, retreats, formations and bonding activities in and out of the Parish. Fr. Venusto Suarez director of the Formation Ministry started giving the BEC members on -going formations in 2009. He also began the Bibliarasal in the area. This activity goes together with the livelihood, scholarship and feeding programs given by the Parish and Caritas.
Msgr. Ignacio in year 2014 appointed the Family and Life Office which is under the new supervision of Bro. Charles Unidad to handle the Basic Ecclesial Communities. Under the direction of Fr. Raul Salgado, the Family and Life Office revive the BEC on a new set up far from the usual social service programs. For a year the office is named as the Ministry on Basic Ecclesial Communities and Family Life. In this year also the management of the Fiesta Committee on Ecology started to be under the responsibility of the ministry. After the 2015 Fiesta celebration and Holy Week, the ministry challenged itself to follow the pattern of the Basic Ecclessial Communities as promoted by the Archdiocese.
The final planning and workshop for this change was done at the CBCP NASA, Tagaytay under the initiative of the office of Fr. Raul Salgado month’s before the full implementation. After all the suggestion from the present Block leaders and BEC officers was taken the reorganization project started. One by one each block leaders are met and collecting with them a newly filled up personal Data Sheet of their member family. The families are then group with one group comprising of eight to fifteen families. In this grouping families that are not so active in the community but still wishes to be part of the list were accepted. This is with hope that the upcoming programs for the communities will strengthen their desire and eventually will get their commitment to fully participate in the community. The saints to whom the Bukluran was named are from the Saints that the leaders picked on the concluded planning.
Thus the new face of BEC with Bukluran as it cell unit were formed. They are Bukluran San Miguel, Bukluran San Juan de Dios, San Pio ng Petrielcina, Bukluran San Juan Pablo II, Bukluran San Maximiliano, Bukluran San Agustin, San Bukluran Francisco, Bukluran San Magdalena, Bukluran San Pedro Calungsod, Bukluran San Lorenzo Ruiz, Bukluran Sta. Rosa ng Lima, Bukluran San Clemente, Bukluran Sta. Agatha, Bukluran Sta. Scholastica, Bukluran San Benito, Bukluran San Roque, Bukluran Sta. Rita ng Causia, Bukluran San Ignacio and Bukluran San Sebastian.
VISION
The Vision the BEC Office of Quiapo Church is to establish Basic Ecclesial Communities that are truly an expression of the renewed Church and a home of integral evangelization and social transformation.
MISSION
The Mission of the BEC Office of Quiapo Church is to establish the Basic Ecclesial Communities in the parish that are active, well empowered and truly living the definition of BECs that is provided by the 2nd Plenary Council of the Philippines.
DEFINITION
“They are small communities of Christians, usually of families who gather together around the Word of God and the Eucharist. These communities are united to their pastors but are ministered to regularly by lay leaders. The members know each other by name, and share not only the Word of God and the Eucharist but also their concerns both material and spiritual. They have a strong sense of belongingness and of responsibility for one another (PCP II, #138)